


Baby, I dig you

by governess_of_floods



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Academia, Archaeology, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:50:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10678041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/governess_of_floods/pseuds/governess_of_floods
Summary: Victor Nikiforov was one of those vanishingly rare creatures; an archaeologist feted by both academics and the general public alike. One of the brilliant minds of his generation, he had first entered the public eye when he was fast-tracked to receive his PhD at the age of twenty-three, with a thesis which fundamentally changed the accepted literature on Ancient Mesopotamia. His extensive television appearances were celebrated for expertly bringing the past to life, without compromising on complexity or academic integrity. Moreover, whether writing, presenting, or lecturing, he appeared genuinely likeable; never anything but gracious when talking about even his most virulent of detractors, witty, personable and charming.His pre-eminence in the field was obviously why Yuuri Katsuki, studying for a Masters in ancient archaeology, had covered his room in posters of the man. Obviously. It had nothing to do with his blue, blue eyes and his jawline sharp enough to strike matches on, or the way he would sometimes flick his silver hair out of his eyes and wink at the camera…Archaeology AU: expect hot boys being clever, bad jokes about digging, me pretending I know what I'm talking about. Phichit being a babe.





	Baby, I dig you

Victor Nikiforov was one of those vanishingly rare creatures; an archaeologist feted by both academics and the general public alike. One of the brilliant minds of his generation, he had first entered the public eye when he was fast-tracked to receive his PhD at the age of twenty-three, with a thesis which fundamentally changed the accepted literature on Ancient Mesopotamia. His extensive television appearances were celebrated for expertly bringing the past to life, without compromising on complexity or academic integrity. Moreover, whether writing, presenting, or lecturing, he appeared genuinely likeable; never anything but gracious when talking about even his most virulent of detractors, witty, personable and charming.

His pre-eminence in the field was obviously why Yuuri Katsuki, studying for a Masters in ancient archaeology, had covered his room in posters of the man. Obviously. It had nothing to do with his blue, blue eyes and his jawline sharp enough to strike matches on, or the way he would sometimes flick his silver hair out of his eyes and wink at the camera…

Okay, Yuuri admitted it might have a little to do with the fact that, objectively, Victor Nikiforov was very much a hottie. But not as much as Phichit (his best friend and flatmate, also studying: a Masters in Communication) liked to insinuate...

Although, on the other hand, Phichit didn't know about the hard drive under Yuuri's bed containing every one of Victor's early television appearances, from brief moments in the background of popular archaeology programme _Time Travellers_ to Victor's very own shows as a fresh-faced, enthusiastic 24-year old.

Phichit also didn't know that one of the main reasons Yuuri had become an archaeologist, rather than, say, a doctor, or a lawyer, or someone who makes _actual_ money instead of living hand-to-mouth off grants and scholarships – was because a 13-year old Yuuri had watched 17-year old Victor Nikiforov, archaeology student extraordinaire, swagger across a television screen and deduce past lives from a fragment of broken pottery. And little Yuuri had turned to his mother and said solemnly; “One day, I'm going to do that too, Mama.”

And, to a certain extent, he supposed he had; late nights studying, classes taken not only in archaeology, but chemistry, anthropology, history, soil science, a work ethic that bemused his family and friends – all this had paid off with a fully funded Masters programme at Detroit University, his supervisor the prolific Dr Cialdini, and the promise of being able to go on to PhD should he perform at a reasonable level in his Masters. He'd taken part in a wide range of excavations, from his earliest attempt in his family's back garden at the tender age of seven – before he knew who Victor was, like many children the world over he was fascinated by dinosaurs, and hoped he might find bones if he dug deep enough into the soil – to being paid (paid!) to uncover the mysteries of the Mongolian steppe.

At Yuuri's age, though, Victor had already achieved groundbreaking research, published his first book, and had his own television programme. Yuuri had published journal papers – mainly co-authored with his supervisor – but the rest of it was still far away. He still felt, in many vital respects, like that little child playing catch-up. He certainly hadn't made any groundbreaking contributions to the field yet, that was for sure.

This thesis he was currently working on, however; that might change things. All being well, it was a train of thought he wanted to explore in his Masters and continue with for his doctoral thesis. Using new technologies available in the fields of soil science and microscopy, it relied heavily on chemical analysis of thousand-year old ice cores to build up a picture of the early days of Scandinavian Arctic habitation, exploring the foundations of modern Inuit and Sami cultures. It was fascinating, and also something that few people had studied; one of the first things Yuuri had noted when he entered academic circles was their propensity to put forward funding proposals for projects in warm climates. Classical archaeology was well-documented, partly because the wisdom of the ancients shed important light on today's civilisation, but also because Greece and Italy were, all in all, rather pleasant places to spend a few months.

Interrupting Yuuri's reverie, the front door to their flat burst open, revealing the bombastic Phichit.

“Yuuri! I went to check your pigeonhole and look – what – I – found!”

He was waving an envelope. Heavy and cream and postmarked with a blue crest. “Oh my god, is that from Helsinki?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Did you open it already? Do you know what it says?” Yuuri said, already on his feet and reaching for the envelope.

“Don't be ridiculous! I left it for you.” Phichit said, pouting slightly. It wasn't ridiculous; Phichit was just as excited about this opportunity as Yuuri was, and he wouldn't put it past his friend to check that the news was good before giving it to him; Phichit was caring in a way Yuuri didn't deserve.

The envelope wasn't opened yet, though. With trembling fingers, Yuuri tore it open along the folded edge – inelegantly, but he couldn't bring himself to care. At the other end of the sofa Phichit sat watching him, hands over his mouth and eyes wide.

Yuuri pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and read.

There was a pause.

Then Yuuri looked up with a grin that threatened the structural integrity of his face, and said, slightly redundantly, “My paper's been accepted. I'm going to Helsinki!”

Phichit jumped onto him with a whoop. “YOU'RE GOING TO PRESENT AT HELSINKI!” Then he lost the power of speech and just made screaming noises for a while.

A good five minutes later, Phichit pulled out of the hug. “But seriously, bro,” he said. “This is really big! You're presenting a paper at one of the biggest archaeology conferences in the _world_ , man!” He tweaked Yuuri's cheek. “My baby's all grown up!”

Yuuri laughed. “I am actually older than you, you know.”

“Pfff. By a few months. What's a few months between friends?!”

“Ahhh I can't quite believe it, Phichit! I'm, like, almost a proper academic.”

“You _are_ a proper academic, my boy. And you're going to speak to all these cool people and they're going to love you and think your work's really cool and _oh my god will Victor Nikiforov be there?_ ”

“Um. He's the keynote speaker. Yeah, he is.”

“Oh my _god._ So exciting! Can you smuggle me in your suitcase? So proud of you!”

Yuuri grinned joyously.

“Wait, we need to record this. Where's my phone? Smile for the selfie.”

The photo that Phichit uploaded to Instagram half an hour later was so full of happiness, Yuuri thought he might burst. Phichit's arm was around him, their two heads squished together, with matching ear-splitting grins on their faces.

 _Just found out that best bro @YuuriKatsukiii's paper was accepted for Helsinki University's 2017 Conference on Archaeological Science!!! #lookoutHelsinki #archaeology #academicsofinstagram #proudmomma_ _< 3_

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not actually an archaeologist. Holla at me if I say something that makes no sense. Comments make my day! <3


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